Ubisoft Revives Beloved Classic with Surprising Move

Ubisoft is facing some tough times lately, with its share price hitting lows and staff pushing back against management. So, it’s a refreshing change to say: Well done, Ubisoft! The company is stepping up by allowing a team of modders to port the fantastic Dark Messiah of Might & Magic to the latest version of Valve’s Source engine, and they’re even lending a hand in the process. Kudos to Ubisoft!

According to reports, a modding team dedicated to keeping Arkane’s classic first-person RPG alive has transitioned from creating compatibility packs for modern systems to undertaking a full port of the game to the updated Source engine. They’re receiving support from both Valve and Ubisoft during this endeavor.

Originally released in 2006, Dark Messiah of Might & Magic was developed by Arkane, the studio known for iconic PC titles like Dishonored and Prey. This RPG gained fame for its incredibly satisfying melee combat and unique blend of stealth, magic, and physics-driven gameplay, all set within the beloved Might & Magic universe.

David Wiltoson from ModDB recently shared exciting news: “With approval from Ubisoft and support from Valve, using the latest Source 1 SDK, my team and I are working on a community edition of Dark Messiah!” Wiltoson visited Ubisoft Montreal for assistance with their Advanced SDK, managed to get elements of the console version running on PC, and even secured “direct code access” from Ubisoft.

This is a significant move. Publishers are notoriously cautious about sharing code, fearing it could lead to catastrophic consequences, despite the positive impact seen when companies like id release their source code. Ubisoft’s willingness to share Dark Messiah’s code, even privately, is a big deal. Wiltoson added, “There are features and directions I can’t quite share yet, but at the very basic we’ll have a lot more stability on this new SDK and, most importantly, direct code access for expanding and fixing issues. Best of all, it’s in the hands of the community, meaning we’ll all be working together to make this amazing game even greater.”

The team, known as wiltOS Technologies, previously reverse-engineered what they called the Advanced SDK to simplify modding for the original game. Their current goal is to integrate this back into the Source SDK, ensuring modders have the same ease of use that Valve’s games offer. They’re also committed to making sure that mods created for the Advanced SDK remain compatible.

Now, the modding team is on the lookout for new volunteers to help expedite the completion of this ambitious Community Edition project. In the meantime, recent updates have breathed new life into the 20-year-old game, introducing an RTX mod, a co-op mode, and even new gameplay elements like Runes.